Page 38 of How Not to Date an Angel

“Well. There’s lots of things. Restaurants and theaters and— oh! Did you know humans have captured wild animals and sea creatures, and put them behind plexiglass so they can look at them for fun?”

Julian arched a brow. “Huh. How about that.” Maybe humansweremade in Heaven’s image after all.

“Granted, I think most of the animals wouldn’t do well on their own, in the wild. It’s called a zoo or an aquarium, if that’s something you’re interested in. The otters areveryadorable,” Rami said, eyes lighting up.

“I’ve seen videos of those! Let’s do that,” Julian blurted. And if he also maybe wanted to see the angel glow like that again, he’d reflect on that later.

“You want to go to the aquarium?”

“Yes. Why not? I don’t have anything else to do.”

The angel sat their book aside, and Julian knew he’d won.

“I suppose it’s a good place to see many of creation’s creatures at once. Do you have something appropriate to wear?” Rami asked, gaze trailing Julian’s form.

Julian's first instinct was to stretch out like a cat, really give the angel something to look at. But he really wanted to see these otters that made Rami sparkle just so.

“Of course I do,” he said, and waved a hand down the length of his torso, pulling on a bit of the hellish magic he had free use of. His horns vanished, and his outfit shifted from the loungewear he’d borrowed from Rami to somethingappropriate:dark ripped jeans and an obscure graphic tee beneath a long-sleeved button-up. And boots, of course. On Rami’s soft living room rug.

Rami’s eye twitched exactly once before they spun on their heel. “I’ll be just a moment.”

“Well, is it appropriate?” Julian asked, standing and stretching.

The angel paused on the stairs, turning to catch him with his arms above his head. Julian felt the cool air brush against the strip of skin the action bared, and he grinned wickedly as he watched Rami’s gaze trail him once more, sliding down the length of his body. Warmth stirred in its wake, and then they were trotting up the stairs. “Quite,” they muttered just before they left Julian’s line of sight.

Julian smirked as he heard the angel’s footsteps on the floor above, the squeak of the drawer they opened to retrieve what Julian suspected was going to be a sweater, no matter how warm it was outside.

Not that Julian wasn’t taking advantage of layering his own clothes. But he’d gotten thatlookout of the angel with it, so it would be worth any warmth.

Besides, Julian could handleheat.

As the angeljoined him again after a few moments, dressed in—you guessed it—a pale collared shirt beneath a sweater with matching pants and dark dress shoes, he realized that so could Rami.

Their silver hair gleamed beneath the low lights, and Rami ruffled a hand through it as they cleared their throat and motioned to the back door. Julian extended his arm for the angel to go first.

Mostly so he could see their ass in those pants.

Also worth it.

The sun was bright and harsh as they stepped outside, and Julian followed Rami around the little walkway to the side of the small house.

He came to a stop on the concrete that made up the driveway. “What the hell is this?” Julian asked.

“A car. My car,” Rami said, eying him over the top of said car, brow furrowing. “It’s how humans travel long distances.”

“No, I knowthat,” Julian scoffed. “But this looks like a… toy.”

“It is most certainlynota toy,” Rami sputtered out. “It is a perfectly well-functioning vehicle! Do you want to come with, or—what are you doing?” Rami asked as Julian began stalking around it.

It was so square. The back window was weird, and curved around the side of the car. Three letters were on the back of it, as well as a four-letter word.

“That can’t be right. No way,” Julian said in disbelief.

Rami rounded the car with him and Julian let his gaze trail back to the word.

“Oh! No, that’s. That’s just the name of the type of car.”

“You drive a Soul?” Julian questioned dryly.

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